'Exit Through the Gift Shop'

What happens when the most prolific graffiti artist in the world hooks up with a deranged film maker with an obsession for capturing street art? Well, you get the first ever "street art disaster movie," of course. Filmed by Thierry Guetta (aka Mr. Brainwash) and directed by Banksy, 'Exit Through the Gift Shop' documents the behind the scene footage of some of the most notorious street artists of our day doing what they do best when the sun goes down. Some of the artists featured in the movie include, Shepard Fairey (OBEY), Buffmonster, Swoon, Dorf, Cyclops, Space Invader, and of course, Banksy.


The Los Angeles film premiere took place last night at the historic Los Angeles Theater in downtown LA, and brought together all sort of Banksy fans from every walk of life. The setting could not have been more perfect: a graffiti soaked red carpet, a random mix of celebrities, artists, street writers, and a masked man playing the piano, all under one roof. After the movie screening the after party kicked off downstairs in the beautiful art deco salon. Banksy's signature street style balanced the classic architecture of the theater making for a radical juxtaposition of sights and sounds, including cocktail waitresses in ski masks and kissing bobby's working the pole to the music of the 1920s.

More photos of the 'Exit Through the Gift Shop' premiere can be found on the DLRPR Flickr page.

Tag Town

Tag Town

Publisher : Dokument Forlag & Distribution (Sweden)

Photographer : Martha Cooper

Graffiti has spread to the far corners of the earth and in the process has become the biggest art movement in history and every graffiti writer began his or her writing career with a tag. Developing an original, consistently written name is the primary act for a writer. The photos in Tag Town, dating back to the 60’s, introduce us to the origins of New York style graffiti. Tags and pieces share a common heritage and by understanding one, you can understand the other. For those who learn to read tags, a world of aesthetic expression and communication opens up. Tags are a universal language – the jazz of lettering. Tag Town also contains rare photos of work on the street by Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring and Kenny Scharf, artists whose tag-inspired work helped found the rapidly growing street art movement. The accompanying text is based on interviews with New York graffiti pioneers Blade, Part 1 and Snake 1. Martha Cooper has specialized in photographing urban art and architecture in New York City for thirty years.

Additional photos from the book can be found here.